The pipe involved in the Putra Heights explosion was not fully supported by the soil around it due to cyclic loading, causing a weakness in the welded joint that broke apart and started the fire.
The Occupational Safety and Health Department (Dosh) said this happened despite the pipe itself meeting technical specifications.
"After (the pipe) failed, it released gas. The metal friction between the pipes can cause a fire and result in an explosion," Dosh Petroleum Safety Division director Husdin Che Amat said in a press conference at the state secretariat building in Shah Alam this evening.
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